''One day I was playing football. The next, I was fighting for life'' - teenager's incredible childhood
Kayleigh Llewellyn is a young woman on a mission - just six years after her life hung by a thread.
The now 18-year-old has looked back on the week when her whole future lay in the balance in 2019.
‘If I was in bed, my heart would lift the blanket up’
It was the week when she and her family were told she needed a heart transplant.
In an incredible interview, the Seaham teenager has talked about everything from her time in hospital to how she wants to make a difference to other people’s lives - and she has spoken about it all for our Wearside Echoes podcast series, sponsored by Mobility Care Solutions.
Episode 2 of the latest series of our podcast will be available from Tuesday, October 14 by visiting here.
But first, let’s give you a taster of what to expect.
Kayleigh told us about her childhood.
Months spent on a rollercoaster ride
‘I feel like I was quite sporty. I did gymnastics for a little bit and then I joined a football team at the end of primary school’.
Kayleigh remembered playing a game the weekend before she was unwell and recalled: ‘I felt more tired than usual. I had a nose bleed and I came off the pitch.
“I went home and my heart was faster than usual. It was hard to walk up the stairs. If I was in bed, my heart would lift the blanket up.”
Kayleigh’s mum Sonia explained further.
‘You could actually see it, her heart was that fast.”
Kayleigh’s heart rate was too high and she was sent to the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle.
‘It felt like there was no light at the end of the tunnel’
She was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy which is a form of heart disease.
The weeks and months which followed were an emotional roller coaster. A first donor heart which was suggested for Kayleigh did not work.
“It felt like there was no light at the end of the tunnel,” said Shaun.
Placed on the urgent transplant list
Kayleigh was taken to the High Dependency Unit and underwent surgery for a VAD Pump to be fitted on the left side of her heart, while the right side of her heart was linked to an ECMO machine.
After four weeks in intensive care, Kayleigh’s condition wasn’t improving and she was placed onto the urgent transplant list for a new heart in November, 2019.
A new era at last
But in November 2019, the beginning of a new era began.
Kayleigh had her transplant that day but only came home in January 2020 after 102 days in hospital.
Her whole story is told in the podcast interview and we also speak to her mum and dad Shaun Sidney and Sonia Llewellyn.
They revealed the nightmare of being told every day that their daughter might not make it through the night.
Wearside Echoes series 3 is available on all major podcasts platforms and we are delighted to have Mobility Care Solutions on board as our backers.
For all your mobility needs
If you’ve been looking for a mobility shop or mobility scooters near you, you need look no further. The team at Mobility Care Solutions are on hand to meet all of your mobility aids related needs.
Kayleigh’s story is a tale of heartache, sheer emotion and, eventually, of hope for the future.